Kitchen Too

I felt I was being unfair to the kitchen by only showing the living room so here is a kitchen update too. Dad the under-cabinet lighting works great! (It's hard to see in these pictures.) Mom, Cash says thank you for the blue football. He loves it!

Meet Cargo Pants

Cash wishing we had chosen Weimaraner Gray.

We have a new color in our lives...meet cargo pants! While I was up in Minnesota Andrew painted our living room the khaki/army green color we had chosen awhile back. It is strange to me how light affects the color in our house. This picture isn't even really what the color looks like to me, but the camera is a different model (the store opted to upgrade us with a new camera rather then fix our old one) so maybe I need to adjust some settings on it for more accuracy. Anyways, our dining room is Ruby Lips, a wall in our kitchen is Flipper, and now our living room is cargo pants. The boring white and beige is slowly disappearing....

Six months later...

Before: At home changing bandages.

First day of Physical Therapy.

Leg now.

So, it's been just over 6 months since Andrew's accident. I wanted to put a post on that day with pictures, but the camera has been a drawn-out pain in the butt. Anyways, we have current pictures now. The visible changes in the scars is dramatic. A mini-update: Andrew is still taking pain medication for the nerve pain he feels in his foot and leg. Andrew does electric stim daily at home. He has brought his foot up slightly, and continues to see improvements in leg movement. He tells me that he can feel his leg move even if no movement is visible. That has been a big boost in our confidence that he will continue to see improvement. Andrew uses a brace at all times (not sleeping) and broke it (something the orthopedic guy says never happens). The brace has since been fixed. Andrew's leg gets fatigued very easily without the brace. We have a doctors appointment next week.
I would love to write more on here, but with the sensitive nature of the subject and all the complications surrounding it I feel I've probably already said enough. I wonder where we will be in another six months....

C.O.L.T.S.

I worked at the Mining Co. yesterday. A little girl had made a sign that said: COLTS, Count On Losing The Superbowl. Clever, huh?

I really don't have a good title for these...

I went to Minnesota last weekend and had quite a laugh when I came across these. Mom and I found some really good ones...some more appropriate for web posting then others. Dad, there is a small album and some random pictures I have for you from mom. Enjoy!

Birthday Snow

Yesterday was Andrew's birthday and he got what he really wanted. No, not Bears playoff tickets-SNOW! Only about 4 inches or so, but enough to make things look pretty and enough to watch the dog have fun in. I'm sure the thousands of people without power (Chris & Andrea) are groaning at the idea of more snow or ice, but we liked it. Oh yeah, the $20 winning scratch off lottery ticket from Andy F. was a good gift too!

Happy Birthday Andrew!!

Go Barbaro

We watched the Kentucky Derby @ Sarah and Kevins and although I could not tell you who won, I have been following the medical care of Barbaro, the horse who fractured his leg in three places during the race. Maybe it's interesting because at first they couldn't get a good pulse in his foot and were worried about the blood supply to his leg (hmm, sound like anyone else we know?). It sounds like he had a minor setback yesterday. Hopefully Barbaro will get the chance to sire a champion.

Becks breaks the bank

$250,000,000 Holy Cow!

Post Secret

There is a site that I visit once a week where people can send in anonymous postcards with a regret, funny story, or experience on it. For those of you that may not be familiar with it, you should check it out. It has become quite popular. I can't guarantee it will always be funny or sad, but it will always be interesting. Here is the link and a second link is on the side of our blog. Check back on Sundays when they post new secrets. Enjoy! Click here to see Post Secret.

Christmas, as promised

Group photo of the Urbans.

Zach with his new sweater.

This bone was so large the guys cut it on the tablesaw for the dogs to share.

Aunt Kathy with Zach.

Good group photo, but we're missing part of Mark!

Here are some photos from Christmas, as promised. We haven't gotten an update on the broken camera yet, but tired of waiting we took the memory card to Walgreens and made a disc to have the pics on our computer. We are sorry we couldn't see all of our friends and family over the holidays, but hope to see you soon in the new year. Verna, could you email Kathy this link? I don't have her email and I think she wanted a copy of some of these pictures.

Tidy Cats new add campaign?

A few weeks ago I was cleaning the bathroom which involves everyones favorite task, cleaning the litter box. I don't know what the deal is with our cats, it's like they can't stand to have a clean litter box for more then 30 seconds. As I had my back turned Gracie decided to take advantage of the open container of litter from the hallway closet. The next photo is of Ruthie debating if she's going to get in.

Happy Birthday Grammy!

Happy Birthday Grammy! We hope you are having a great day!
Love, Abby & Andy

Wants versus Needs

We went and did the gift registry thing last night. Very interesting. Tried to be leisurely about it, went and had a drink first, etc. Ended up taking a couple of hours before we decided to give up for the night. We still need to fine-tune it, but we got a good start. We want to register at Menards, but I think we'll wait a week before attempting another.

Resolutions

This morning I was standing in the backyard with the dog at a little past 6 a.m. There was a strange glow that seemed different then most mornings. It took me a second, but then I figured it out. The glow was from cars at the YMCA, which is about a block away. I had to laugh. All the resolutions to work out, get in shape, etc. That has to be the reason. I like the idea of resolutions, but I don't like the limits (do something everyday, etc.) because I think it just sets you up for failure. I listened to a speaker during an ethics course in college who had a very interesting take on resolutions. He was speaking about fairness and spirituality and the consequences of saying "Why me?" when something bad happens. He said he takes his birthday (say the 15th) and on that day every month reflects about what he did well the previous month and what his goals were for the upcoming month. I think I like that approach better because you get 12 chances a year for change. Andrew and I asked each other if we had resolutions. We want to have more fun together (a long weekend to FLA maybe?) and mine, as always, is to drink more water. SOS, same old stuff. Do you have a resolution?

Welcome 2007!

We celebrated the new year with a trip to Cedar Rapids to see Melissa and T.J. It seemed like a long time since we had seen Mel and we all had fun going out. Andy and I had a strange couple of weeks leading up to the new year; our schedules seemed to be crossing so it was like, we live together, but felt like we weren't seeing each other all that much. Anyways, I was very glad to be able to be with him and celebrate 2007.
I was trying to think of a creative way to do a post for the new year as I like to read tabloid magazines from time to time and watch E! and they always seem to have interesting things like what was big in '06 or a countdown of the biggest celebrity bloopers of the year, etc. It's difficult to remember what all happened in 2006. Looking back Andrew and I were boyfriend and girlfriend, we paid rent, and had a dog named Gus. Andrew had a blank passport, a different job, and a scar-free leg. We enjoyed spending time with Grandpa Paul at his home in Epworth. My how things have changed!
I'm really anxious for the new year as it feels like a new beginning of a really exciting time for Andrew and I. I don't think either of us want to say this year will be better then the last (all of you have been telling us that!) because there are no guarantees-it could be worse. We have witnessed our friends, family members, and co-workers go through some much more difficult things then we have had to experience (loss of a child, brain cancer, etc.) Overall, we have grown and changed as individuals and as a couple. I feel excited for 2007 and all that it has to offer and I know that with Andrew by my side we can take on anything that comes our way! Best wishes to all for a happy 2007!